15 November, 2006

Rava Idlis

If you are a South Indian then one thing which will always follow you everywhere is Idli-Sambar. Be it a small hotel or gaadiwala or some ‘sagar’ hotels, the white, soft and fluffy Idli’s with big bowl of mouth watering Sambar and Coconut Chutney will take your breath away.Here I’m posting a recipe another version of idli called Rava Idlis. The only common thing between Rice idlis and Rava idlis are their shape and the way they are steam cooked. The ingredients, method of preparing the batter, colour and taste everything is different from one another.

Method:Heat ghee in a pan and add cashew nuts and channa dal. Fry them till they turns slightly golden colour.To this add urad dal, mustard, chopped curry leaves, green chillies and raisins. Fry them till mustard starts spluttering.Now add the rava/semolina and fry them in a low flame till semolina turns golden and switch off the gas. Let the mixture cool down.To this add salt, cooking soda, butter milk, chopped coriander leaves, grated carrots and mix well.Add enough water to make a batter of idli consistency (little thicker than dosa batter) and keep aside for half an hour.Pour a ladle full of batter into idli plates and steam cook them for 15-20 minutes till they are done.You can also make idlis in microwave using idli container and cook them for 7-10 minutes as per instruction. Serve hot rava idlis with Onion Sambar and Coconut Chutney.

Colourful Rava Idlis

Tip:You can prepare and store this rava mixure in air tight container for 1-2 weeks and can be used as and whenever required to make rava idlis.

yes lakshmi, they not only look colourful but also have high nutrition content. great dish for breakfast or brunch.my mom used to make them this way so that we kids will eat veggies and dry fruits in indirect way:)cheerssupriya

If you and Trupti (not to mention all the foodies out there) carry on making lovely dishes as your rava idlis...what will happen to my lovely slender figure...~lol~..ah well one only lives once...~smile~...lovely stuff Supriya...you rock..

hi dilip,this is the best diet food u can have. other than the ghee i used for frying seasoning and rava there is not a extra drop of oil. and there is just steam cooking which retains all the nutrition intact:) so no need to woory about ur slender figure:) cheerssupriya

hi trupti,girl the idlis steam cooked in steel idli maker tastes 100% betterthan the one made in microwave. the softness of the idlis steam cooked cant be copied with microwave made. i know its bit of a head ache to wash up the vessels but my sweetheart takes up that job, so i dont have to worry about washing up the vessels;)and i too wish we were staying closer:) thanks to blogger which has brought us closer:)cheers supriya

hi lakshmi, u can have it anytime:) best thing about them is not much of preparation requied as i make rava and store:)let me know when u make them...and hey... i'm not able to access ur blog... cheerssupriya

praveena,i'm hooked to blogging... even if i'm dead tired after long day of work i cant resist staying away from it:) do let me know hoe ur rava idlis turns out:) happy cooking and happy blogging:)cheerssupriya

Hi sia, Thanks for a nice recipe.I have a query,plss answer it as i need it the most:)I tried making rava idli in microwave idlimaker.The taste was good but the idli was rather hard and sagging in between unlike soft idlis we get in normal cooker.I donot have normal idli stand and I have to bank on this microwave idli maker only:( I would like to know if normal idlis come soft in MV idli maker and what r the tips to get soft idlis in a microwave idli maker??Does they come out well or should i avoid making idlis in it?Thank you,Pushkala

@satheesh,sorry for the delay in replying satheesh as i was away on hol.u r right, MW idlies are not as soft as the one u cook using a steamer or pressure cooker. i have tried few things to get softer idlies and the one which worked for me is to no water, just butter milk while making the rava idli batter when cooking in MW. if u r making a normal idlis then add a handful of beaten rice/avalakki, left over rice and a cup of sour curds while making the batter. it helps in making soft idlies if not as soft as the one u get from steaming. and one more thing, i hope u r using enough water in a MW idli maker while making the idlies as the steam from this water helps in making the soft idlies. i would always recommend to make the idli in traditional way. if u have a pressure cooker but no idli stand then try using small katori/bowls to make idlis. i hope this info is useful to u. i will see if i can get more info on getting soft idlies using MW and will update it in my blog.

I heard there was a way to make idli by putting the batter in a muffin tray, putting foil over the tray, and popping them in a gas oven to steam for about 7 minutes. Could you tell me, by your estimate, what temp. would be best to steam these in a gas oven? The recipe that I'm trying to use doesn't say!

@Kaila Hubbs, sorry for the delayed response as I was busy with Diwali prep. I have net used making idlies using muffin trays and sorry I cant comment about the cooking time involved! i use my pressure cooker without its weight and steam cook the idlies. sorry that i can't be of much help here!

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About Sia

Born in India and raised in fun and food loving family, I currently reside in UK with my better half and my two babies, five years old son and nine years old food blog. My cooking style has strong root in Indian culture and at the same time embraces the world cuisine with equal passion. With never ending love for food, spice and life, I am passionate about cooking and making Indian food less intimidating, healthy and easy to cook which reflects in my blog Monsoon Spice which has been ranked one among Top Indian food blogs. Read more…

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